PRESS RELEASE

France honors and Dr. Villoo Morawala - Patell

Officer of the National of Merit

Bangalore, April 21, 2008: The French government has bestowed the of Officier de L’Ordre National du Mérite (Officer of the National ) on Dr. Villoo Morawala - Patell, Founder, Chairperson & Managing Director of AVESTHAGEN LIMITED. The National Order of Merit is an Order of awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on December 3, 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle.

The award conferred by H. E. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, Hon’ble President of the Republic of France is to be presented to Dr. Villoo Morawala--Patell by the Ambassador of France to India, Mr. Jerome Bonnafont at a felicitation ceremony in Bangalore on 23 April 2008. The citation reads “This award acknowledges your great merits as a prominent figure in the scientific field in the entrepreneurship of your country, as the creator of AVESTHAGEN, a major company in India in the area of biotechnologies. It is also a tribute to your cooperation with French scientists, your numerous and fruitful partnerships with major French industrial firms, and to the affection you have on many occasions expressed for our country.”

Accepting the award, Dr. Patell said, “This is indeed a moment of great pride. This is not just an award for me; it is recognition of the achievement of India in the field of Science and Innovation. It's an award for the entire industry. India has arrived on the scientific map of the world and has emerged as an intellectual powerhouse to reckon with.”

Dr. Villoo Morawala-Patell is a combination of Scientist and Businesswoman. With the desire to drive the development of research in Life Sciences, she founded Avesthagen to promote a sustainable innovation platform for the Nation. Today, after seven years of business life, Avesthagen has emerged as India’s leading knowledge based Life Sciences Company. The company drives itself on an integrated approach to innovation leading to convergence of food, pharma and population genetics across the life-science space. Avesthagen’s partners include global companies in each of its fields of research. French companies bioMerieux, Limagrain and Danone, as also

1/3 Indian companies Cipla and Godrej have partnered with AVESTHAGEN LIMITED contributing to the growth of the biotech industry.

Dr. Patell is a key member of the Task Force and Vision Group for Biotechnology, instituted by the State Government of Karnataka and founding member of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE). She was recently invited as a Member on the Board of the Bill Clinton Global Health Initiative. Dr. Patell has received the BioSpectrum Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2006 and the Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur Award for the year 2005-2006 from Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). She was also the recipient of the Ojaswini Award for Science and Technology.

Dr. Patell was awarded a Ph.D in 1993 in Plant molecular biology from University of Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg in France and did a Post-doctoral tenure from University of Ghent, Belgium. She has received several prestigious grants from Institutions such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Indo- French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR).

About the National Order of Merit

Origin

The National Order of Merit is an awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on December 3, 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle.

Ranks

(grand-croix) – Wears the on a on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest Grand Officer (grand officier) – Wears the badge on a with on the left chest, plus the star on the right chest (commandeur) – Wears the badge on a necklet Officer (officier) – Wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest (chevalier) – Wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest

Description of the insignia

The badge and the plaque of the Order were designed by the French sculptor Max Leognany.

2/3 About AVESTHAGEN LIMITED AVESTHAGEN LIMITED is India’s leading integrated systems biology platform company that focuses on achieving convergence of food, pharma and population genetics leading to predictive preventive and personalized healthcare. It employs 600 people worldwide and is headquartered in Bangalore. AVESTHAGEN LIMITED has established world class, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in Bangalore. It began business operations in 2001.Since its inception Avesthagen has grown into one of India's leading healthcare technology group in India, and its activities include, in addition to its agri-biotechnologies product pipeline, development of clinically validated botanical bioactives, derived from Indian medicinal plants, as well as the development of a pipeline of bio-similar drugs. AVESTHAGEN LIMITED has four strategic business units: bioPharmaceuticals, bioNutrition, bioAgriculture and Science & Innovation. Its partners include multiple top 10 global companies in each of its fields of research. AVESTHAGEN LIMITED collaborates at every stage in the value chain with appropriate partners, both public and private, for access to and exchange of technology and overall commercial expertise to leverage the ‘India advantage’.

For AVESTHAGEN LIMITED on the web: www.avesthagen.com

For more information, please contact:

AVESTHAGEN LIMTED

Anil Chauhan Vice President – Business Development Tel: +91-80-2841 1665/2308 Fax: +91-80-2841 8780, E: [email protected]

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